Anchor Liberty: Neglected Too Long

Historically - say 1830 to 1970 - there's no real way of separating Pale Ale and IPA. Unless you only count beer sent to India as IPA. In the 20th century the term IPA was used for all sorts of beers, from weak to quite strong.

 

I did the same recently. Bought a fresh 6-pack of cans when they first hit shelves. It is a great beer.

 

Cheers from Quebec! A fine beer IMO

 

I wish we could see some crb beer around here.

 

I agree. I'm in NJ but when I see any Anchor brews on draft, I always opt for one of those over anything that's made locally to my area. It's far and above better (particularly Liberty Ale...a particular favorite. Unfortunately, I haven't seen their Porter on draft here in the Garden State since the early '90s, when my local had both it and Old Foghorn on the taps with some regularity).

 

I'm on my second can (6%. Aren't the bottles 5.9%?). For me this is a very hoppy beer, a bit harsh, even, but it has the Anchor magic that makes it a real pleasure to drink, especially after a couple of disappointing beers (long poured down the sink). I think this is the hoppiest beer I've had from them...

 

It's been a few months since I've had Liberty, but I remember being very surprised by how impressive it was.
I think it was the balance between the hops and malt backbone that I enjoyed so much.

 

My introduction to better beer (craft did not exist yet) was Anchor Steam on tap in 1976. Whenever I see Anchor Steam on tap since I always have at least one.

 

My introduction to better beer was also Steam, back around '80 or '81. I wasn't 21 yet, but after reading an article in a newspaper (probably the Los Angeles Times) proclaiming it the best beer in the world I convinced my older brother to buy a six pack for me.

A friend and I snuck the bottles down to a spot by the nearby railroad tracks, opened them up and had our first taste of "the best beer in the world". Have to admit, I didn't like it right away (just wasn't "ready" for it I guess) and thought that if this was the best beer in the world I'll probably never be a beer drinker.

Years later I've come to appreciate Steam and Liberty, and every time I enjoy a Steam I'm reminded of that day trying my first "real" beer down by the railroad tracks.

 

I have not had Liberty, but I've tried Steam and a couple others from them and they make some damn good beer. If I see this in my neck of the woods I'll be picking it up.

 

Anchor Liberty is one of the best and has a great history. Now that I live in Panama City, Florida, I can no longer find it. My mother or sister will always pickup a couple of six packs in Louisville, KY when traveling down to visit. Anchor Liberty is a classic.

 

I like Anchor beers so much I put the bottling code on my phone so I can reference it when purchasing. But I must admit I too, have bypassed Liberty Ale to try something new, and lo and behold, now it's not on the shelves where I shop. But I did just pick up some BigLeaf Maple and Brotherhood Steam. Going to have to see if they can get Liberty Ale back on the shelves.

 

DB Liberty is like nothing else that Anchor has done. It's not a perfect beer, but it's an in your face hop bomb of a throw back IPA.

 

If they had been neglected for too long...would they not have gone out of business?

 

I drink all of Anchor's year round brews. Their seasonal changes, however, have not been for the good. Maple Red and Saison are meh. Winter Wheat is unique

 

Great call. Anchor Liberty Ale was around in my collage days in the 80's. It was one of the best, and hopiest beers I could find. Time to revisit, it was a fantastic tasting beer back then, it may not be king of the hop bombs today, but I'm sure it still tastes great.

 

I waxed on just Friday about Anchor IPA. I can't believe it's not my go to IPA, as it is solid as a rock.

 

Same here except I had a bad six pack a while back due to age, at least I think that was it, the cans I bought had no code at all that I could see. No 3 letter code at least. Yes I like all there year round beers.